This invention generally relates to communication systems and more particularly relates to high linearity intermediate frequency stages for RF communication systems.
Communication networks such as wireless networks for transmitting data and audio information are increasingly in use. Typically, transceivers for wireless nodes are superheterodyne radio frequency (RF) receivers that mix the received signal with a local oscillator (LO) signal to down-convert the received signal (e.g., the RF signal) to one or more intermediate frequency (IF) signals. The IF signals have fixed, or at least restricted, frequencies which allow the IF signals to be more easily filtered, amplified, and otherwise processed.
Mixers are typically used to translate the received RF signal in frequency by combining the received signal with a Local Oscillator (LO) signal to create an output signal at either the sum (fRF+fLO) or the difference (fRF−fLO or fLO−fRF) of the input signals. Mixers may be either passive or active. Passive mixers are based on un-biased semiconductors. Passive mixer circuits generally exhibit a low noise figure and are highly linear over a relatively wide dynamic range.
However, passive mixer circuits generally require a relatively high power local oscillator drive signal as well as low noise IF amplification to compensate for relatively high insertion loss. For example, most passive mixers have a conversion loss on the order of 6 dB, a noise figure on the order of 6 dB, and an intercept point dependant on the amount of LO drive provided which is typically between 0 to +17 dBm for a passive mixer.